Today is my 70th birthday and part of the reason for doing this
cycle ride. The forecast was for heavy rai all day but even though
it started with rain it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I packed
up camp in light rain and wheeled my bike to the canal and started
riding east. The towpath was well surfaced and the going easy. I
watched the rail landing on the canal surface as I rode along. My
first main objective was the Aqueduct carrying the Union canal over
the River Avon.
First birthday brew and cake for later
Approaching the Avon Aqueduct in the rain
When I got there I parked my bike and walked down some steps to try
and get a view of the stone columns. There were too any trees to get
a good view. The towpath was rough and uneven cobbles and not very
wide. The sign says cyclist dismount and walk and I certainly did
that.
Avon Aqueduct
Avon
Aqueduct
Avon Aqueduct
The Avon Aqueduct over the river is the longest in Scotland. It was
designed by
Hugh Baird (1770 - 1827) and is 26 m high, 247 m long and has 12
arches. Hugh Baird was a Scottish civil engineer who designed and
built the Union Canal. He was the son of Nicol Baird the surveyor to
the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Old photo of Avon Aqueduct
Once over I continued in the drizzly rain to the outskirts of
Linlithgow where I joined the road to ride into the town then turned
left up a cobbled drive to Linlithgow Palace. I used the castle
entrance to shelter from the rain for a while. This was the
birthplace of
Mary Queen of Scots (1542 – 1587).
Linlithgow Palace
Entrance to Linlithgow Palace
Mary & Linlithgow Palace
St Michaels Parish Chruch
Mary Queen of Scots
Queen Elizabeth II inside St Michaels Parish
Mary Queen of Scots inside St Michaels Parish
Challenger Expedition in the window
1885 centre window of the apse
In 1885 the splendid centre window of the apse was fitted out with
stained glass in memory of
Charles Wyville Thomson (1830 - 1882) the locally born oceanic
explorer. It features a fleet of ships such as that which
accompanied the explorer on his charting of the world’s oceans in
HMS Challenger from 1872-76. They discovered the Challenger
Deep in the Pacific Ocean and named it after the British Royal Navy
survey ship HMS Challenger whose expedition made the first
recordings of its depth. It is 10,898 to 10,916 m (35,755 to 35,814
ft) deep.
St
Michaels interior
Cake heaven at the coffee morning
I had a quick look in the adjacent St Michaels Church where Mary was
baptised. The guide told me of a coffee morning down the drive so I
cycled there and went in. I paid £2, which is all I had handy in my
pocket and had some coffee and several delicious cakes.
Feeling rather full I cycled on to the Rail Station area then
steeply back up to the canal. The towpath continued as an excellent
surface to where I left the canal to take a very wet and muddy track
over the railway and on through the lanes towards Queensferry.
Back to the Union Canal
I had hazy views of the bridges through the mist and after crossing
the access road to the new Queensferry bridge. I descended through a
housing estate to the lower road and the cycle track up to the old
road bridge. I wanted to cycle over by the west cycle lane but the
sign said cyclists should use the east lane. I rode up and on to the
bridge. As I cycled north I asked a runner if he knew if the west
lane was open but he didn’t know.
Misty view of the new Queeensferry Bridge
Deserted Forth Road Bridge
Queensferry Bridge from the Forth Road bridge
Container ship & Queensferry Bridge
I continued over to the north end then crossed the carriageways at a
pedestrian crossing. There was no traffic except for the occasional
bus. I rode back to the east cycleway and found it completely open.
I rode back over and had some good views of the new Queensferry
Bridge. I crossed back under the bridge then up to the car park and
path through the housing estate to join the road again. I called at
the Scotmid Co-op shop to buy water then descended to the lower road
to head east to Hound Point.
Camp 2 by the Firth of Forth
Candle lit birthday party
The rain was getting heavier as I rode under the Rail Bridge
then I continued for a mile or so to the logs by the trail where I
left to wheel my bike across the grass to the lovely camping spot
looking across the firth. I wanted to take some night photos but the
rain continued all through the evening so I didn’t go out to take
any.
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Whittle Wanderer
